With the BP oil spill recovery head Bob Dudley recently saying that it is about time that there is a “scaleback” in the cleaning up of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil leak, there were noticeable signs on Friday that the focus is shifting to long-term clean up efforts, compensations to the poor for the losses they incurred, and comprehending the overall damage.

Dudley, who will take over the reins of BP as the new chief executive in October, also announced in Biloxi that James Lee Witt, ex-chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will be supporting BP’s restoration work in the Gulf.

Disagreeing with the opinion of some people that the impact of the spill has apparently been overstated, Dudley said: “Anyone who thinks this wasn't a catastrophe must be far away from it.”

The April 20 rig explosion, which triggered the oil spill, resulted in the death of 11 workers, and spewed almost between 94 million and 184 million gallons of oil before a temporary cap was effectively put in place on July 15.

Though the attempts to permanently plug the gushing well were likely to begin on Sunday, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, revealed on Friday that there was a holdup in the plans because the debris in the bottom of the well will first have to be fished out so that it can be used to plug the well for good.